Michael w



(No Model.)

M. W. LANE.

GAR COUPLING. No. 253,723. Patented Feb. 14,1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL W. LANE, OF LADOGA, INDIANA, AssIeNoE OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE ROGERS,

OF s ME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 253,723, dated February 14, 1882. Application filed January 16, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,-MIOHAEL W. LANE,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ladoga, Montgomery county, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Gouplin gs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of carcouplingsintended to connect automatically on the bringing of the cars together; and my invention consists in constructing the parts, as fully described hereinafter, so as to insure the automatic coupling, whatever may be the height of the opposite cars, retain the cars together so long as they remain on the track, and automatically disconnect them should one or more cars be overturned.

My invention further proved details of construction, fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view, showing the end of a box-car with my improved coupling-bar. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, showing the draw-bars on opposing cars of different heights. Fig. 3 is a perspective end view of one of the draw-bars. The constructions shown in Fig. 1 and in the remaining figures differ slightly as to details.

worn.

Each drawhead A A has the usual chamber or recess, 00, and is provided at the top and front, on opposite sides, with guides to a, slotted to receive the trunnions of a rock-bar, b, from which depends the pin B, the latter having a terminal finger, 2', which extends through the bar I), and is secured by a nut, a", so that the pin may be readily removed if bent or The draw-head has slots y 3 which permit the pin to swing back, but limit its forward motion after it reaches a vertical position.

The rock-bar 1) turns in the ends of a yoke, d, which is pivoted to the end of an arm,f, secured to a rock-shaft, 9, shown as turning in hearings on the front beam of the car but when the draw-head is connected to swing under the platform the shaft 9 may turn in bearings on the draw-head, so as to move with the latter.

The shaft g is provided with a handle, h, at

consists of certainimback into the link and secure the side of thecar, or in such other position that the shaft may be turned thereby without any risk to the brakeman, who need not pass between the carbumpers. By turning the shaft the brakeman is thus able to raise the pin from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1. As the brakeman mayoccupy a position upon the top of a box-car at times when it is necessary to make up or break trains,

I connect the shaft 9 to a lever, it, upon the top of the car, or in a position where it may be readily reached by the brakeman while upon the top. The object in thus raising the pin is to release the link D to disconnect the cars. When cars provided with the two drawheads are brought together the link D, held in one head, will strike the pin B of the other, and said pin will swing back, as shown in dotted lines at the left, Fig. 2, until the link is fully within the head, when the pin will swing the latter; It will be apparent that trains of any length may thus be coupled or made up without any further labor on the part of the brakeman-than is necessary to insert the links, if the same should not already be in place, and that any car may be uncoupled from its neighbor by simply depressing the arm h or 71/.

So long as the cars remain on the track the pins hold the links in place; but should acar be overturned the pins will swing inward, releasing thelinks, and thus prevent one car from dragging another with it.

here all the cars are of the same height the devices above described answer all .purposes; but it often happens, especially in freight-trains, to which my coupling is particularly adapted, that one car is higher than the next, in which case the link would pass over or under the adjacent draw-head. To avoid this difficulty I combine with each drawhead a link-elevating rod, 6, that may be raised or lowered to alter the angle of the link held by the draw-head. This rod may be raised or lowered by different devices. As shown, it is attached to an arm, m, extending to a shaft, n, 5 turning in bearings suitably arranged on the draw-head, and an arm, 12, on the shaft a, is connected or jointed to an arm, 8, on a shaft,

t, turning in bearings on the buffer-beam, and I claimprovided with a handlefq, whereby the shaft 1. The combination of the slotted head, its 20 may be turned. guides, rock-bar and pin, and the yoke d, car- The mouth of the draw-head has a slot, u,in rying the rock-bar and jointed to an arm upon 5 which the rod 6 may lie to prevent it from bea shaft, 9, substantially as set forth.

ing struck by the entering link, and the sides 2. The combination of the slotted drawof the head have slots 20 to permit the movehead, rod 0, shaft 01, having an arm connected 25 ment of the rod. By depressing the handle q to said rod, and shaft 2%, provided with a handle j without going between the cars the rod 0 may and connected to said shaft n, substantially as 10 be raised so as to lift the link to the proper anset forth.

gle to enter the opposing head, as shown in In testimony whereot'I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two sub- 0 Fi 2. v

ihe shaft it might be extended to the side of scribing witnesses. the car and provided with the handle qbut by 1 1 15 using two shafts, n t, and linking them to- MHJHAEL'W' LANE gether, the swinging of the draw-head inde- Witnesses:

pendently of the shaft t and its handleis per- CHARLES E. FOSTER, mitted. l

G. W. BALLOGH, 

